106 ABC OF STRAWBERRY CULTURE. 



age of what we used to get from Cleveland. Farmers complain 

 much about there being no money in 80 cent wheat. I should 

 think there must be a great deal more than in berries sold by 

 the dealers at $1 a bushel. The dollar-a-bushel man has to take 

 just what he can get, and has the world to compete with ; the 

 $4-a -bushel man can set his price, and his market will never be 

 glutted. I do hope my experience may teach this lesson. I 

 was anxious to go to a fancy store on Euclid Avenue with a 

 bushel of those magnificent berries, just to see what I could 

 get for them ; but our people wanted them all, and more, and 

 we let them have them. 



But the first day we picked almost too many to suddenly 

 put on our little market, and early the next morning I drove 

 to Akron (12 miles) with three bushels, to see what I could do, 

 not dreaming that Hudson would take all we had after that. 

 Before I got there I met men returning who said I might as 

 well turn around, as Akron never knew such a glut of berries 

 before, and no more could be sold at any price. But I went on. 

 In fact, my spirits began to rise. I cared little about the three 

 bushels I had; but I thought to myself, "Here is just the 

 chance I want to prove whether or not excellence pays." I 

 drove up before a grocery, the owner of which I knew appre- 

 ciated a good article. I found him at his desk, and for a time 

 could not induce him to look at the berries at all. " What is 

 the use? " he says. " I know they are nice, from the potatoes 

 we have bought of you ; but we are overloaded, and can not 

 sell what we have, and there are so many new growers that I 

 can not see any prospect for any thing better. The growers 

 can not sell any more to dealers, and now they are going from 

 house to house, selling at very low prices, and utterly demoral- 

 izing our trade. We are just ' stuck.' In twenty years I never 

 saw such a glut. I should gladly help you out if I could, but 

 we can see no possible outlet." 



I told him that, of course, I did not ask him to take any 

 more berries. I would take them back home ; but it would 



